Regulation of histone acetylation in the hippocampus of chronically stressed rats: a potential role of sirtuins

The hippocampus is a brain region that is particularly susceptible to structural and functional changes in response to chronic stress. Recent literature has focused on changes in gene transcription mediated by post-translational modifications of histones in response to stressful stimuli. Chronic variable stress (CVS) is a rodent model that mimics certain symptoms of depression in humans. Given that stress exhibits distinct effects on the cells of the sub-regions of the hippocampus, we investigated changes in histone acetylation in the CA1, CA3, and dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus in response to CVS. Western blotting revealed a significant decrease in acetylation of histone 4 (H4) at Lys12 in CA3 and DG of CVS animals compared to control animals. Furthermore, phospho-acetyl H3 (Lys9/Ser10) was also decreased in the CA3 and DG regions of the hippocampus of CVS animals. In addition, since histone deacetylases (HDACs) contribute to the acetylation state of histones, we investigated the effects of two HDAC inhibitors, sodium butyrate, a class I and II global HDAC inhibitor, and sirtinol, a class III sirtuin inhibitor, on acetylation of histone 3 (H3) and H4. Application of HDAC inhibitors to hippocampus slices from control and CVS animals revealed increased histone acetylation in CVS animals, suggesting that levels of histone deacetylation by HDACs were higher in the CVS animals compared to control animals. Interestingly, histone acetylation in response to sirtinol was selectively increased in the slices from the CVS animals, with very little effect of sirtuin inhibitors in slices from control animals. In addition, sirtuin activity was increased specifically in CA3 and DG of CVS animals. These results suggest a complex and regionally-specific pattern of changes in histone acetylation within the hippocampus which may contribute to stress-induced pathology.

Research Highlights▶Chronic variable stress decreases K12H4 acetylation and K9S10 phospho-acetylation in CA3 and dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus. ▶Sirt1 activity is increased in the hippocampus of chronically stressed animals. ▶This increase in Sirt1 activity is in CA3 and DG and not regulated by increased Sirt1 protein expression.